WRITTEN QUESTION E-3049/00 by Jean-Claude Martinez (TDI) to the Council. Elephant hunting in Africa.
Date: 2000-09-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Africa, authorised catch, hunting regulations, market approval, material of animal origin, protection of animals, wild mammal

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/29

The draft resolution builds on Council Resolution of 9 June 1997 (3) inviting Member States to consider
establishing national DNA databases with a view to exchanging DNA results between them.

The Commission takes the view that it would be advisable to await the outcome of these discussions
before deciding to further increase cooperation between Member States in DNA-related areas.

(1) P.R. 170 No 8856/98.
(2) OJ L 322, 12.12.1996.
(3) OJ C 193, 24.6.1997.

(2001/C 163 E/029)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3049/00

by Jean-Claude Martinez (TDI) to the Council

(29 September 2000)

Subject: Elephant hunting in Africa

The cruel and senseless practice of elephant hunting is still going on, unfortunately against a background
of widespread indifference.

Given that the massacre of these mammals, one of the symbol(cid:146)s of our planet, is prompted by financial
motives connected to the trade in ivory tusks, what steps will the Council take to introduce a total
Community-wide ban on this vile trade?

Will the Council introduce a system of fines for states which continue to allow hunting of this kind within
their territory, reminiscent as it is of the archaic and barbaric practices of former times?

it take measures against travel agencies and other organisations which organise these large-scale

Will
massacres under the guise of safaris or big-game hunting?

Reply

(12 February 2001)

The Council shares the concerns of
the trade in ivory tusks and the
conservation of the African elephant. It has adopted Council Regulation (EEC) No 3626/82 (replaced by
Council Regulation (EC) 338/97) (1) implementing the Convention on international trade in endangered
species of wild fauna and flora (hereinafter (cid:145)the CITES Convention(cid:146)) in the Community. Import of African
elephant ivory for commercial purposes has been prohibited under Community law since 1989.

the Honourable MEP about

However, import of hunting trophies is allowed from some African countries where it has been established
that this limited hunt is not detrimental to the populations concerned, and the gains of sport hunting are
in part returned to the local population and conservation authorities. In such cases, export quotas apply,
and hunting trophies, which must be for personal use only and not for commercial use, must be
accompanied by proper export and import certificates. As to the matter of fines and for measures against
travel agencies, it is pointed out that the CITES Convention in no way affects the right of parties to adopt
stricter domestic measures regarding the conditions for trade, taking possession or transport of specimens
or species included in the appendices to the convention, or the complete prohibition thereof.

is
The parties to the CITES Convention may take stricter measures to prohibit
detrimental to the conservation on the species. The export quotas applicable to elephant trophies adopted
by the Convention(cid:146)s secretariat are considered non-detrimental to the species and therefore deemed
satisfactory.

the trade when it

In the present situation, the Council does not envisage taking steps against countries which authorise
hunting when duly regulated, or against travel agencies promoting it.

(1) OJ L 61, 3.3.1997, p. 1.